Vice-Admiral, Deng Zilong (鄧子龍 in traditional Chinese, 1531–1598) was a military commander for the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

China. His

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

was "Wuqiao" (武橋) and his nickname was the "Tiger Crown Taoist" (虎冠道士). He was born in the Dengjia (Deng family) village of

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

province. He was most famously remembered for part taking in the

Imjin war The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

's final showdown, the battle of Noryang, where he was killed alongside Korean war hero

Yi Sun-Sin Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...

. Deng first rose to prominence while subduing a rebellion within his home province during the reign of the

Jiajing Emperor The Jiajing Emperor (16September 150723January 1567), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Ming, personal name Zhu Houcong, art name, art names Yaozhai, Leixuan, and Tianchi Diaosou, was the 12th List of emperors of the Ming ...

, after that he was assigned to a command post in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

province. His most notable accomplishment in his military career was his efforts against the Burmese armies of the

Taungoo dynasty ''taungnguumainn saat'' , conventional_long_name = Toungoo dynasty , common_name = Taungoo dynasty , status = Empire/ Kingdom , event_start = Independence from Ava Kingdom , year_start = 15 ...

during the reign of the Burmese king

Nanda Bayin , image = , caption = , title = King of Toungoo , reign = 10 October 1581 – 19 December 1599 , coronation = 15 October 1581 , succession = , predecessor = Bayinnaung , successor ...

, who had repeatedly harassed the Southwestern borders of the Ming dynasty during the 1580s-90s. Although Deng's forces were often unruly, and gotten into incidents where they had brawls against other Ming forces and among Each other, he was relieved of his position in 1583, before being reinstated some 7 years after that, though he continued to run into troop discipline problems and was fired and instated several times during his career. In 1598, he was called upon to join the Ming efforts in Korea, and was given the title of vice admiral of the Ming navy. He took part in the battle of Noryang at an elderly age, but was killed in action alongside Korean Admiral

. The Korean court honored him greatly after the war, building temple in his names in Korea.

References

*The History of Ming, chapter 247, biography section 135 (明史第247捲，列傳第135 ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Deng, Zilong 1531 births 1598 deaths Ming dynasty generals Chinese admirals People of the Imjin War People from Yichun, Jiangxi Generals from Jiangxi Chinese military personnel killed in action